Learning To Trust Intuition As A Gift From God
I’m an engineer by training. I was taught to trust data, process, and proof. For years, if I couldn’t measure something, I didn’t know what to do with it. And yet, again and again, there was a quiet knowing that showed up before the evidence did: a gentle nudge, a sense of peace about one path, an unease about another. A lot of this developed after spending many months in deep meditation and prayer.
For a long time I brushed it aside. I called it a hunch, a feeling, something to be set aside in favor of “being reasonable.” Slowly, through prayer and stillness, I began to see it differently.
A quiet voice, not a loud one
Scripture tells us, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). God does not usually shout. More often, He speaks in the small, still places: a sense of peace, a steady pull toward something good, a stillness that settles over a decision.
Intuition, as I’ve come to believe, can be one of the ways He speaks. It is not magic, and it is not infallible. It is a gift, one we are invited to receive with gratitude and to learn to use with care. We also need to be intentional with intuition and to check in with the Holy Spirit (or whatever works for you) to ensure the messages are from a Higher Source and not from our own filter or desire for answers.
Trust takes practice
Trusting intuition didn’t come naturally to me. It grew the way any relationship grows, by showing up consistently. Here is what has helped:
Start with stillness. Before a decision, I pause and pray. I invite the Holy Spirit in and then I get quiet. The goal is not to produce an answer but to make room.
Notice the fruit. True guidance tends to leave a particular fragrance behind: peace, patience, gentleness, a sense of being drawn closer to God. Fear, pressure, and anxious urgency rarely come from Him. As St. Paul writes, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Test it gently. Intuition and discernment work together. I weigh what I sense against what I have learned through practice, experience, and what the Holy Spirit teaches. A nudge that contradicts God’s peace, however strong it feels, should be reevaluated.
Look back with gratitude. When I reflect on moments I sensed something and later saw why, I’m reminded that I was never navigating alone.
God Wants to Help In Every Situation
There were plenty of times as a working engineer when I had “problems” to solve. For some reason, it took me a while to realize that God (through the Holy Spirit) wants to help us with anything because He wants us to experience His peace as much as possible. If we struggle, we may be too distracted to spend time with God.
As an example, I was given an assignment at work to build a prototype in short order. I had no idea where to get the materials or who could help me build and assemble the prototype. I went through my initial worry and trying to figure out how I would get all of this done. Then I remembered to ask God through the Holy Spirit for help. I got quiet at my desk and prayed. Then went about some other tasks.
Not too long after I felt that I needed to go down to the factory and just walk around. No specific things to do, just walk around. Based on that nudge, I ran into a guy that wanted to know what I was up to and I told him about my situation. In a short conversation he revealed he had all of the material I needed and he miraculously had time available on his machine to make all of my parts. Wow!
When it’s hard to tell the difference
Not every inner voice is the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it’s fear dressed up as wisdom, or our own wishes wearing a holy costume. This is why discernment matters, and why none of us has to do it alone. For questions of faith or conscience, a priest or spiritual director is a wonderful companion. And when what you’re carrying feels more like persistent anxiety or heaviness, a licensed mental health professional is the right support.
An invitation
If you feel a longing to hear God more clearly in your own life, to move from confusion toward clarity and from striving toward peace, you don’t have to figure it out alone. In my sessions, we begin by inviting the Holy Spirit in, and then I do my best to get out of the way so you can have your own encounter with Him.
The Lord is near. Whatever you are facing today, bring it to Him in prayer, and listen.